Kristin Haynie (2017) - Hall of Fame - Michigan State University Athletics

Kristin Haynie

Induction:
2017
Class:
2005

Kristin Haynie
Women's Basketball (2001-05)
Mason, Michigan
MSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2017

HIGHLIGHTS:
• 2005 NCAA Regional & Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player, guiding MSU to its first Final Four in program history
• Three-time All-Big Ten honoree (2003-2005), earning Kodak & WBCA Honorable Mention All-America honors in 2005
• Ninth overall pick in the 2005 WNBA draft, winning the WNBA title later that season
• MSU career leader in assists (574) and steals (346)

HALL OF FAME FEATURE: CLASS OF 2017

Kristin Haynie was the quintessential Spartan, leading the Michigan State women's basketball team to its first Final Four during the magical 2005 season. The Mason, Michigan, native dreamed of becoming a Spartan and used complete tenacity to make her dreams come true.

She joins Mary Kay Itnyre (2015), Diane Spoelstra (2012) and Kisha (Kelley) Simpson (2011) as MSU women's basketball players in the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame.

"When Mark Hollis told me, I was speechless," Haynie said about being told of her honor. All these types of emotions were going through my head so quickly, and I was definitely shocked and I thought I was dreaming. MSU was always my dream school to play ball at and to be inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame definitely leaves me speechless. Obviously, it is not just me; it is my coaches even from when I was a kid from middle school to high school. There are also my teammates that basically made me look good. This is an award for everybody who has been a part of my life.

"I love the state of Michigan, and I love Michigan State. I grew up watching the Spartans play, and it was always my dream to play for the Spartans. I always bleed Green and I always will. So really it's emotional, and it means a lot to me. I just have to continue to soak it in. One of these days it will hit me, but I am still shocked."

As native Michigander, Haynie finds it particularly special to be named to the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame. Haynie was inducted into the Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2014, but did not anticipate being named to the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame at such a young age.

"Being inducted period, it's something I never would have imagined or thought about," Haynie said. "I just wanted to go to State to play ball and pursue championships, so this award is something so special to me. I bleed Green."

Haynie had a stellar Michigan State career, ranking as the career leader in assists (574) and steals (346). She finished her career ranked eighth in MSU history in scoring (1,199 points) and is still 14th in career scoring. At the time of her graduation, she was just the fourth player in Big Ten history to reach career totals of 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists and 300 steals. She is also the Michigan State leader in single-season steals with 117. The point guard is still one of just three Spartan women's basketball players to record a triple-double.

The Spartan had an amazing stint in East Lansing, but the pinnacle of her MSU career was the 2005 season. Michigan State advanced to its first-ever Final Four, falling in the championship game to Baylor. MSU finished the season with a 33-4 record, which is still the school record for wins, under the tutelage of head coach Joanne P. McCallie.

"The 2005 season was a whirlwind," Haynie said. "Starting my senior year of college, I knew that we had a special team. The core players played a lot of minutes, and we knew Coach P's system. We wanted to do special things. We shocked the nation and made it to the National Championship game. Then a couple of weeks later I got drafted in the first round, and then a couple months later we won a WNBA Championship in Sacramento. I finally have been able to realize what 2005 was, and it was a year that I will never forget and I love talking about it. Not a lot of student-athletes get to the National Championship game let alone get drafted and win a world championship. I am definitely humbled by it."

Michigan State finished the season ranked No. 2 in the nation in the final USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll, earning its highest-ever national ranking. The Spartan starting five featured Haynie, Liz Shimek, Kelli Roehrig, Lindsay Bowen and Victoria Lucas-Perry. MSU averaged 71.0 points per game, while allowing only 58.2. Those stats were bolstered by a 67-51 win over No. 11 UConn on Dec. 29, 2004, as the 10th-ranked Spartans not only won on the Huskies' tough home court, but dealt them their worst home loss in 12 years.

"Beating UConn at UConn was a big highlight of the 2005 season," Haynie said. "I think that they were on a 40-game winning streak at the time, and we beat them at their place, that was a big turning point. I still remember getting a No. 1 seed in the tournament and people having their doubts. Commentators and analysts thought we were overrated, but we beat Notre Dame at Notre Dame, UConn at UConn, won the Big Ten Championship, so it was awesome to be the underdog and prove people wrong."

Haynie knows that her success during her senior season had as much to do with the other four players on the court with her. Shimek and Bowen both started every game of the 2005 season with Shimek leading the team in scoring, averaging 14.8 ppg. Haynie, Shimek and Bowen all garnered Kodak/WBCA and Associated Press All-American honors after the conclusion of the 2005 season, but it was Haynie that emerged as the heart of the Big Ten Championship squad.

"When I got the ball, I always wanted to find Lindsay Bowen," Haynie said. "She is one of the best players that I have ever played with. I loved playing with her. Liz Shimek is one of the hardest-working players that I ever played with, even throughout my professional career. Kelli Roehrig and Victoria Lucas-Perry, they played their roles as well. We just gelled as a team. It was just really fun and no one really cared who scored, which makes the game fun. We were close; we had good chemistry on the court and that is what made is so successful."

Haynie and Roehrig finished their Michigan State careers with 91 victories, which was the most by any class in MSU history at the time.

Just weeks after National Championship game, Haynie was the ninth pick in the 2005 WNBA Draft by the Sacramento Monarchs. She helped the Monarchs capture the WNBA title in her first season as a pro. She played in 160 games during her WNBA career, spending five seasons in the WNBA (2005-09) with the Sacramento Monarchs, Atlanta Dream and Detroit Shock. Following her stint in the WNBA, Haynie played professionally in Italy, Lithuania, Russia and Greece.

After the conclusion of her playing days, Haynie returned to the court as an assistant coach at both Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan. These days, she continues to help young athletes reach their potential. She works with basketball players of all ages at Ignite Training, improving their speed, agility and fundamentals in the Mason and Kalamazoo areas.

"I loved coaching," Haynie said. "You don't realize what goes on, you know, on the other side when you are playing. You just care about putting the ball in the hoop. I really enjoyed it; I loved the relationships and I learned a lot. I stopped coaching because I want to train. I am doing skills training on the court because I saw a lot of kids when I was coaching that could have used a little more help. Looking back, I wish that I had a trainer and a mentor who helped me reach my goals. Whether their goal is to be a really good high school player or to get to college or be a professional, I want to help them reach their goal. I played at the highest level. I really want to give back to the game that way and see young kids reach their dreams and goals."

Haynie also stays close to the MSU program watching the likes of Aerial Powers and Tori Jankoska flourish under the guidance of head coach Suzy Merchant.

"Even though Suzy wasn't my coach, I still love the women's basketball program," Haynie added. "I bleed Green. I still follow them. I like Suzy Merchant a lot. We talk, and I like to learn things from their practices. I don't want to be a stranger to Malinda (Hudkins) and LouAnne (Jefferson), all the people that are still there who were there when I was."

The point guard says she wants to be remembered at Michigan State as a relentless team player, but realizes that the equally tenacious MSU fan base has a lot to do with the Spartans' success.

"It was just awesome to watch as my years went on to watch the fan base increase," Haynie said. "I am pretty sure we were top five in the nation by the time my senior year ended in home attendance. That is what I miss most about basketball, running out of the tunnel and hearing the fans cheer. That is an adrenaline rush. We couldn't be successful without our fans either so I want to give them a shout-out."

The tough as nails point guard couldn't have gotten where she is today without some key individuals, including her parents.

"I want to thank my parents," Haynie said. "My dad was hard on me, and I think that it helped. Looking back I wish that he was even harder on me. I want to thank my mom as well because she was the supporter. When dad was bringing me down my mom was bringing me up, and it was a good balance.

"Julee Burgess was my best friend in high school, and we were roommates in college. She has helped me through all the thick and thin and any adversity I had at MSU. I appreciate everything that she did for me in college."

Burgess remains close to the Spartan Family as a Sport Operations Assistant in the MSU Athletic Department, and Haynie stays in contact with her today.

It took a team, a family and a community to help Kristin Haynie develop into the Hall of Famer that she has become today. She is looking to give some of that back to the state that helped cultivate her winning state of mind.